Egypt court slaps seven Coptic expatriates alleged makers of anti-Islam film with death sentences and American pastor Terry Jones with a five-year jail term.

Egypt court slaps seven Coptic expatriates alleged makers of anti-Islam film with death sentences and American pastor Terry Jones with a five-year jail term.(AhramOnline).A Cairo Criminal Court slapped seven Coptic expatriates with death sentences and American pastor Terry Jones with a five-year jail term for their alleged roles in the production last year of a short film that defames the Islamic faith, German news agency DPA reported on Tuesday. All the defendants were tried in absentia.
The court ruled the film in question, dubbed 'The Innocence of Muslims,' to be defamatory to Islam and the Prophet Mohammed and a potential threat to Egypt's national unity.
The seven convicted Coptic expatriates were: Maurice Sadiq Gerges, founder of a US-based Coptic association; Morkos Aziz, a US-based television presenter; Fekry Abdul-Messih, a US-based doctor; Nabil Adib, media coordinator for another US-based association; Nahid Metwally, an Australia-based doctor; Egyptian-born Copt Mark Baccil Youssef (charged with producing the film); and Nader Farid, a commerce graduate.
On 18 November, Egypt's State Security Court referred the requested death sentences to Egypt's Grand Mufti for his approval, in accordance with Egyptian law.
Gerges and Jones, the latter of whom is known for his public burnings of the Quran, are believed to have been involved in promoting the film but not in its production, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal.
The film sparked angry protests throughout much of the Islamic world, including Egypt and Libya, when it appeared online in September.
Egypt-based Coptic schoolteacher Bishoy Kamel was subsequently sentenced to six years in prison for sharing the film on Facebook.
Egyptian Coptic activist Alber Saber, meanwhile, also remains in detention in Egypt for also sharing the film online.Hmmmm.....'The future must not belong to those that slander the Prophet'....and my buddy Morsi.Read the full story here.

Video - Terry Jones Barred From Entering Canada - Michael Coren & Robert Spencer Discuss.

Terry Jones, controversial U.S. pastor, denied entry into Canada.

Terry Jones, controversial U.S. pastor, denied entry into Canada.(TS).About 50 people showed up at the Freedom Showdown event in Toronto Thursday, most apparently sharing dissenting views from Rev. Terry Jones, the missing speaker famous for threatening to burn the Qur’an. The dissidents said they were as disappointed as Jones, the pastor from Florida who was turned back at the Canada-U.S. border earlier Thursday, because they would have liked to engage in dialogue with him and understand what leads someone to adopt such hateful views against Islam.
“I’ve talked to Muslim radicals, and they are so similar to non-Muslim radicals,” said Mubin Shaikh, one of two undercover counter-terrorism operatives who assisted Canadian authorities in uncovering the Toronto 18 terrorism case in 2006.
 “The best antidote to hate speech is truth speech. Is the society really better off by demonizing a minority group?”
Hoisting a banner that promoted peace between Christians and Muslims, Max French said people like Jones are “toxic.” “I’m here to bring a voice of sanity to an otherwise insane society. They do nothing but incite conflicts,” said French. 
More than 20 Toronto police officers were on guard monitoring the hour-long event that also commemorated the death of U.S. Cpl. Chris Speer, killed in a fight in Afghanistan that involved Canadian-born 15-year-old Omar Khadr, who was recently returned to Canada after years imprisoned at Guantanamo. Jones, who leads Florida’s tiny Dove World Outreach Centre, was held up for four hours earlier Thursday at the Windsor border crossing, before being denied entry into Canada to attend the evening event outside the Ontario Legislature.
The vehicle Jones shared with Pastor Wayne Sapp, as well as their cellphone records and computers, was searched while the two were interrogated by Canada Border Services Agency about the intent of their visit and what he was prepared to preach at the event. Authorities also seized two 1-by-1.5-metre cardboard signs that said, “Koran burning site” and “Islam is the new Nazism.”
“Dr. Jones is obviously very disappointed. It’s a big blow to him and all of us,” said his spokesperson, Fran Ingram, in Florida. “This is not about him. This is about free speech in the West.”
In barring Jones, border officials cited a fine he got in Germany in 1993 for using the title “doctor” there (as a recipient of an honorary doctorate in theology), as well as a criminal charge of breaching the peace at a planned rally in Detroit last year. Ingram said Jones got both decisions overturned on appeal. 
However, unconvinced border officials demanded proof. “You are required to provide a criminal records check before returning to Canada,” said a notice issued to Jones at the border, obtained by the Star. “Failure to provide this criminal history record, while attempting to enter Canada, may result in your arrest.” Jones’s refusal wasn’t the first instance of a controversial visitor being prohibited from entering Canada on the basis of stated views and remarks made elsewhere.Read the full story here, more here.

"Vade Retro Satanas?" - Germany Bars US Pastor Terry Jones.

"Vade Retro Satanas?" - Germany Bars US Pastor Terry Jones.(Spiegel).US hate preacher Terry Jones, one of the supporters of the anti-Islam video "Innocence of Muslims," is to be banned from travelling to Germany. According to information obtained by SPIEGEL ONLINE, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has asked the Interior Ministry to prevent Jones from entering the country.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said Sunday that a visit by Jones would "run counter to the interest of maintaining public order." The ban came in response to information that German far-right groups such as Pro Deutschland and Pro NRW plan to invite the preacher to Germany in the coming days.
Sources close to the German Foreign Ministry said Westerwelle believes (Christian?) hate preachers have no business being in Germany."Jones came to worldwide attention in 2010 when he threatened to burn a copy of the Koran. Fanatics in the Muslim world responded to this deliberate provocation by staging violent protests in which at least 20 people died. The controversial video, believed to have been produced in the US by a Coptic Christian convicted of bank fraud, has led to violent demonstrations in several Muslim countries in which people have been killed and injured. In the Libyan city of Benghazi, the US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US citizens were killed last Tuesday. The German Embassy in Sudan was attacked and set on fire on Friday. There has also been unrest in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The head of Pro Deutschland, Manfred Rouhs, said he plans to show the film in Berlin. "For us, this is about freedom of art and opinion," he told SPIEGEL.Read the full story here.

Iranian Cleric Urges Strong Int'l Reaction to Quran Burning by US Pastor, because Muslims have never desecrated values of Judaism, Christianity or other divine religions.

Iranian Cleric Urges Strong Int'l Reaction to Quran Burning by US Pastor, because Muslims have never desecrated values of Judaism, Christianity or other divine religions.(Fars).Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami lashed out at the US and Europe for their silence on desecration of the Muslims' Holy Book by a US pastor, and urged strong reaction to the provocative move. Addressing a large congregation of worshippers on Tehran University Campus on Friday, Ayatollah Khatami criticized the US administration for its silence on the insulting move, and noted that the US pastor, Terry Jones, would have avoided repeating Quran burning if a proper reaction had been shown to him when he burnt copies of the Holy Quran for the first time. He stressed that the West is testing Muslims' sensitivity, and called on the Muslims to stand against such criminal acts, warning that "otherwise such crimes will increase". On Sunday, Iran condemned the Quran burning by the US pastor as an "insulting and provocative" act, and urged the United States to apologize to the Muslim World. The Pentagon had asked Jones to refrain from burning the Qurans out of concern for the safety of NATO forces in Afghanistan. Quran burning and sacrilege of Islamic values has become a commonplace move by Americans in recent years, while the opposite has never happened and Muslims have never desecrated values of Judaism, Christianity or other divine religions.Hmmmm............Millions of Christians, Jews and Hindus might disagree on the latter.Read the full story here.

Video - US Pastor Terry Jones burns Qurans to urge Iran clergyman release

US Pastor Terry Jones US burns Qurans to urge Iran clergyman release.(NDTV).Miami: A controversial Florida pastor has burned copies of the Quran and a depiction of the prophet Mohammed to protest the imprisonment in Iran of a Christian clergyman Youcef Nadarkhani. The burning, attended by 20 people and streamed live over the Internet, was carried out by pastor Terry Jones' church in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday, The Gainesville Sun said, and video of the burning was uploaded to YouTube by the pastor's supporting group "Stand Up America Now." The Pentagon had urged Jones to reconsider, expressing concern that American soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere could be put at greater risk because of the act, according to the newspaper, but Jones insisted to go ahead with the protest in the name of the release of the Christian pastor in Iran.Mr Nadarkhani was arrested in October 2009 and condemned to death under Islamic sharia law for converting to Christianity when he was 19. Now 34, he is a pastor of a small evangelical community called the Church of Iran. Iran's supreme court in July 2011 overturned the death sentence and sent the case back to the court in Mr Nadarkhani's hometown of Rasht, in Gilan province. His retrial took place at the end of September 2011 with no verdict made public. Several Western countries, including the United States, Britain, Germany and France, condemned the death sentence and said they feared it could be carried out soon. In March 2011, the US pastor's assistant burned a copy of the Quran and broadcast the ceremony on the Internet, with the images inciting violence in northern Afghanistan, in which at least 12 people were killed. Moments after the burning on Saturday, the Gainesville fire department issued the church a citation for violating the city's fire ordinances, the report said.Read the full story here.More here.

Rev. Terry Jones calls for worldwide Koran burning if imprisoned Iranian pastor isn't freed.

Rev. Terry Jones calls for worldwide Koran burning if imprisoned Iranian pastor isn't freed.(DN).With the twin spires of the Islamic Center of America in the background, the Rev. Terry Jones praised Christianity and condemned Islam, calling it “of the devil.” “Mohammad was a liar, a pedophile and a false prophet,” Jones said. “I believe that as a Christian.
But as an American who believes in the constitution I believe they have the right to practice their beliefs under the freedom of religion.” Jones — who is on his fourth trip to Dearborn to preach about the dangers of Islam and its agenda of imposing Sharia law on America — also called for a worldwide burning of the Koran on April 28 if an imprisoned pastor in Iran isn’t freed from a death sentence after converting from Islam to Christianity. “I’m asking the imam of the Islamic Center here in Dearborn to work with me to free Minister Youcef,” said Jones, of Youcef Nadarkhani, currently facing death for preaching Christianity in Iran. “If he isn’t freed, I will ask the world to burn the Koran in protest starting at 5 p.m. on April 28th in Gainesville, Fla.” 
At least 30 of Jones’ supporters — some of them openly carrying weapons on their belts as did Jones — shouted an occasional “amen” or “preach it” as Jones spoke. The controversial pastor denied accusations that he is a racist. “Not true,” he said. “Islam is a religion, not a race. I am not a racist.” Jones said that not all Muslims are radicals. “I believe the majority of the people who attend this mosque behind me believe in the constitution,” Jones said.There were no arrests made at the demonstration, according to Dearborn police. "I came back to Dearborn to say what I tried to say the first time I was here," Jones said. "I was banned for three years, but we won that case so now I'm back to talk about the First Amendment. To talk about the appeasement of Muslims by the states and by many universities. "If you look at any government that is under Islamic rule you find no freedom of speech, or religion or for freedom for women." Read the full story here.

Pastor Terry Jones to Protest Youcef Nadarkhani's Execution by Burning Qurans

Pastor Terry Jones to Protest Youcef Nadarkhani's Execution by Burning Qurans.(CP).The organization Stand Up America Now, led and founded by Dr. Terry Jones, revealed on Feb. 22 that it will burn Qurans and images of the prophet Muhammad in protest of the Islamic religion, should Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani be executed for his Christian faith.
The American Center for Law and Justice announced on Tuesday, Feb 21 that the Iranian courts may have issued an execution order for Nadarkhani. Nadarkhani, who has been a pastor at a number of house churches in Iran for the past 10 years, has been imprisoned since Oct. 2009, originally for protesting, but those changes were later controversially changed to apostasy and attempting to evangelize Muslims.
According to the Stand Up America Now website, the organization focuses on many social issues, with a special emphasis on standing up for Christian minorities persecuted in Islamic dominated countries.On Feb. 23, 2012, Stand Up America Now, based in Gainesville, Fla., protested Islamic Awareness Month at the University of Florida, also located in Gainesville.
The organization's president and founder, Dr. Terry Jones, describes the planned burning of the Quran as a form of protest which would "obviously get Islam's attention," saying that Christians "cannot just stand by and do nothing.""We have very little that we can do as a Christian community to protest the inhumane activities of Islam," Jones told The Christian Post.
"It's a type of protest to let the government know we are totally disgusted with their type of Shariah, with their activities. In fact, with the activities of Islam over the past 1,400 years," he added.
Jones, however, hopes that a Quran burning will help the fate of future persecuted Christians.
Jones believes that Islam's goal is world denomination, while "our goal is world evangelism."
"We all know that Islam is like a big bully. Most of the time the answer to a bully is not to give in and not to run away, but to stand up to the bully," Jones said.
"I think Islam has proven itself as the ultimate bully and we definitely have to stand up and if we don't they are not going to back down," he added.
However, Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, calls Jones's protest a "stunt.""It's unnecessary," Sekulow told CP. "It's an abuse of freedom. We have those kinds of freedoms here, but if you're going to do it for publicity's sake, it still doesn't make it right just because it's legal."Read the full story here.